Video: Fukushima Daiichi, The Inside View

Tokyo Electric Power Co. Tuesday released a 13-minute video of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant – one of the longest clips that reveals a glimpse of the work taking place inside the troubled facility.

The silent reel, shot on May 6, shows workers spraying parts of the damaged reactors and suiting up in protective gear in the specially constructed earthquake-resistant emergency headquarters located several hundred meters from the reactors.

Tepco said it constructed this kind of building following the 2007 earthquake in Niigata that damaged the utility company’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. The main office was unable to communicate with Tokyo after it lost power, severing telephone and fax lines. The structure at Fukushima Daiichi, loosely translated as the “anti-earthquake office,” was equipped with backup power sources within the building that could function even in the event of a grid blackout cause by an earthquake.

However, it is not resistant to radiation. The windows are not tightly sealed, leaving tiny crevices where radioactive materials can seep inside. Tepco said it has taken steps to ensure administrative workers do not stay inside the office too long, reducing their risk of exposure to dangerous amounts of radiation.

The above video is a brief excerpt of the footage released on Tuesday. The whole video can be viewed here.

About Japan Real Time

Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com